


An Outlet to Call Home

by raskin



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Gen, Humbled, Roommates, Series Spoilers, Shame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2014-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-09 10:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1145055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raskin/pseuds/raskin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dorian was less than thrilled when John told him of his new living arrangements.  Sure, he wouldn't have to spend his off-duty hours in the bowels of the police station with the bastard MX's.  And he would be able to charge when he needed, not get bumped for the higher-priority androids.  But living with Rudy?  Not what he had in mind.  The geek was not really what Dorian considered good roommate material.</p><p>But neither, perhaps, was he.</p><p>[Directly follows the ending of S1E7, "Simon Says".]  [Because I thought Dorian seemed pretty ungrateful to Rudy in that last scene...]</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Outlet to Call Home

“So, what would you like to do first?” Rudy asked eagerly, his smile crooked and huge eyes shiny. He made no effort to hide his joy in having someone with him, to spend time with, to erase his loneliness. “We could watch a movie, or play ping-pong. Or how about going to a nightclub, and perhaps meeting some women? I imagine you’re very good at that.” 

Dorian kept his features impassive as he watched his new roommate bounce slightly in his seat, hands clasped between his knobby knees. Rudy was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning, having company in his room above lab. It was probably the first time he’d had anyone over, Dorian thought. The space certainly wasn’t designed for entertaining. Even up here, there was tech equipment everywhere. But it was clean, and there were no dirty dishes or discarded clothes lying around. The narrow bed – really more of a cot – was neatly made.

When John dumped him here earlier in the evening, Dorian had been more than irritated. He resented his partner for setting him up like that. “Not what I had in mind,” he’d hissed at John under his breath, while keeping a somewhat pleasant expression on his face for Rudy’s sake. What he’d had in mind was a place more like John’s. And a roommate more like, well, John, not this brilliant but socially inept geek.

“Actually, I think I might just plug in for the night.” Dorian’s smile was gauged to convey friendliness, gratitude and weariness. He wanted to be alone, not forced to play buddy-buddy with Rudy. “It’s been a very draining day.”

Rudy’s smile slid away; he did not acknowledge Dorian’s attempt at humor. Instead, his eyes fell to the floor and his shoulders slumped. He was clearly disappointed. Was it because they wouldn’t be doing anything fun tonight? Or because he was realizing that this might not be the roommate arrangement that he’d hoped for? Maybe Rudy had picked up on Dorian’s lack of enthusiasm, in spite of his efforts to mask it.

Dorian couldn’t be 100% sure. He wasn’t a mind-reader. He could only compare what he observed to a database of probable reasons for those readings. And all the data issuing from the scientist -- vital signs, body language and the like -- suggested that Rudy’s mood was currently somewhere between bummed and devastated. 

Rudy twisted to his feet, gangly and awkward. “Oh. Sure. I understand. Let me show you to your… power strip.” He choked out a small laugh.

Dorian experienced a strange sensation, a sort of sick feeling, and sadness. Not strong, but distinct and new to him. It was a tribute to his designer that he could feel these hormone-driven reactions at all, since he had not a drop of hormone inside him. But the intent was that he would experience the emotions that accompanied actions. It would make him more empathetic to the humans he interacted with. And also remind him that his actions had social implications. That was the theory, anyway.

His internal monitor finally returned the word associated with these feelings: shame. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, not at all. He knew that this was the organic body’s way of telling a human that it’d fucked up, and might not be able to make things right. 

Rudy had disappeared across the room, into a nook formed in the space between shelving units. As Dorian rounded the corner to join him, his jaw dropped, a suitable reaction when surprised, as he definitely was. Subtly colored batiks hung down on three sides, forming walls. A tall Japanese floor lantern provided soft ambient lighting, while a flex-neck lamp on an end table directed sharp light onto a stack of three hard-back, old-fashioned printed novels. A deeply cushioned recliner sat at an angle on a thick cotton tajik rug. The power source apparatus, the only thing of all of this that he really needed, was unobtrusive on a thick cable alongside the chair. As a whole, it was a very attractive space. Appealing. Cozy. In response, the needle on his contentment scale rose significantly.

It was all unnecessary, as Rudy well knew, but was meant to make Dorian feel comfortable. And the only reason to attend to his comfort, Dorian reasoned, was to make him feel more welcome. More… human.

The shame response amped up, and Dorian’s chin almost trembled. He did not like this feeling at all. He felt bad. He felt… ah, there was the word: humbled.

Rudy retreated back to the main room, giving Dorian privacy to plug in. Right now, though, all he wanted to do was research ways to show Rudy how much he appreciated his efforts. How welcome he felt. And how much he was looking forward to learning from his roommate. Dorian needed to learn how to be a better man, and as unlikely as it seemed, Rudy would be able to teach him a thing or two about that.


End file.
